Removable cover-plate mounting



y 1930. E. NIELSEN 1,759,242

' REMOVABLE COVER PLATE MOUNTING I Fiied Oct. 31. 1928 lllllllHlllllllHiili II A\ HIM Patented May 20, i930 u m'rao JSVTATE'S in-m manunnmnsan, or mama, Wisconsin,- Assranon "r We BEACH mire.

. 00., or wrsconsm, A coaromrron or wrsconsm I nnnovnra covrua-rna"r12 noun-Hive Application filed October 81, 1928. Serial No. 816,817.

This invention relates to removable cover plate mountings, and more particularly to means for removably mounting a cover plate upon a vacuum cleaner nozzle having an opening therein. a

The main object of the invention is to produce a very simple, inexpensive and efficient means for removably mounting a cover plate on a vacuum cleaner nozzle, but the invention may be used in connection with many other devices in which covers are required to be removed and replaced.

It will be understood that it is customary to provide, in the front wall of a vacuum cleaner suction nozzle, an opening in axial alignment with the opening in the front of the fan casing for the purpose of permitting an auxiliary cleaning tool coupling to be inserted through said opening and connected to a flange on the fan casing; the object being to establish connection between said auxiliary suction tool and the fan casing and to close the air passageway between the main suction tool and the fan chamber.

It is desirable to provide a removable cover plate for the opening referred to, so mounted that it may be readily removed when it is desired to attach the auxiliary tool and speedily replaced when the auxiliary tool coupling is not in position.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vacuum cleaner embodying my invention, the handle and dust bag being broken away.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the front wall of the nozzle and cover plate, taken on the line 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of part of the nozzle with the cover plate in position thereon. v

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but

showing the position of the parts when the plate is being moved away from the nozzle for the purpose of removing it.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 4. 7

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, of the fastening device used in my invention.

The following is a general description of the vacuum cleaner to which my invention has been applied. The body of the cleaner comprises a motor housing 15, substantially round, in transverse, vertical cross section, partially closed at its rear end 16, and provided with an outwardly extending flange 17 at its forward end. Ventilating openings in the housing 15 are. indicated at 15. Connected to said flange 17 by screws 18 is a fan casing 19, so arranged that the fan (not shown) will be in axial alignment with the motor shaft. A suction nozzle 20, terminating in a suction mouth 21, is preferably integral with and extends forwardly and downwardly from the fan casing '19. The front wall 22 of the nozzle 20 has an opening therethrough, which is substantially in alignment with the axis of the fan, and said opening is normally closed by a removable plate 23. This opening in the wall 22 is provided for the purpose of accommodating a coupling (not shown) for an auxiliary suction tool which may be connected to a flange on the inner surface of the fan casing in such manner that communication between the fan chamber and suctionmouth 21 is out off, and communication established between the auxiliary tool and said fan chamber. Not being a part of this invention, this auxiliary tool connection to the fan casing need not be described in detail.

The body of the cleaner is supported at the rear upon a roller 24 and near the forward end by a pair of rotatably mounted wheels 25. A stationary brush 26 is removably mounted externally of the nozzle 20 by means of a bracket 27. A handle 28, having bifurcated ends or spring arms 29 adapted'to engage the sides of the motor housing 15, is removably and pivotally mounted on pins 30 which extend outwardly from the sides of said casing 15. The electric current wire 31 connects the motor with a source of power through an extension cord usually carried on the handle 28. The fan casing 19 has the usual tubular extension 32, to which a dust bag 33 is removably secured.

Referring now more particularly to the construction which it is intended to protect hereby,-t he dotted line 34 shown in Figures 3 and 4 indicates the oriflning in the front wall 22 of the nozzle w 'ch the plate 23 is intended to cover, This plate 23 is preferably flat and may be of any desired contour, slightly larger .in area than the o ning 34 in the nozzle, and has a protru mg ear 35 at its top margin, which may be con-,

veniently grasped when it is desired to remove the late. At each side, near its margins, the p ate 23 is provided with apertures.

36, substantially circular in' shape and of tar diameter than the heads of the fastenm devices about to be described.

o'- o positelypositioned devices are shown an each .comprises a shank 35!, head 38, spring-retainin cap 39, coiled spring 40, and a bent end 41 or holding the cap 39 and spring in place.- Each fastening device is positioned in the wall 22 in an aperture 42 near the margin of the opening 34. The shank 37 is of smaller diameter than the aperture 42. Whenjn position, the head 38 will extend outwardly from the front wall 22, and

spaced apart from each other,

the spring 40, held in on the shank '37, will r against the inner surface of the wall 22, as best shown in Figures 2 and 6. I

' The apertures 36 in the cover late 23 are om center to center a distance slightly greater than the distance between the apertures 42 (center to center) in the wall 22, andcons u'ently also a distance slightly greater than t e distance between the center of the heads 38 of the .fas-

devices, asnormally positioned in said apertures 42. This will bevunderstood by ref erence to Figures 2 and 3, where it will be seen that, normally, the heads 38 of the fastening devices bear against the plate 23 at Y the extreme inner edge of the apertures 36, and the plate 23 is securel held against the nozzle wall 22 b the yiel ing contact of the under surface 0 the head 38 against the plate.

23 at the point 43 indicated on Figures 2 and 6.

When' the plate 23 is to be removed, the operator will grasp the art 35 and by drawing the late forwardly, t e marginal portion 43 at t e edge of the aperture 36 of the plate 23 will bear against the inclined under surface 44 of the head 38, and in its continued forward movement will engage said surface 44 and tip the shank 37 m the aperture 42, whereby the head38is moved out of its plate retaining -position, as shown in Figure 5.

This forward movement forces the head 38 of the fastening device outwardly and side wise so that it occupies a position more nearly approaching the center of the aperture 36 in the plate 23, as shown in Figure 4. As soon I as the part 43 of the plate 23 has passed forwardly beyond the part 44 of the head 38, the plate will be entirely free of the fastening means. Thereupon, under influence of the spring 40 the fastening device will assume same 1n all constructions and not sition by the cap 39 the normal position, which is substantiall at right an les to the wall 22. I It will be un er-.

stood, 0 course, that there may be variations in the distance from center to center of the' plate apertures 36 as compared with the distance from center tocenter of the apertures 42 inthe wall 22,- due to variations in manufacturing devices; and that, therefore, the position .of the fastening devices :when engaging the removable plate is not always the necessarily atright angles to the wall :22.

To replace the plate 23, the action is re-' versed; that is to say, the under surface 45 at the inner margin of the aperture 36' will engage the outer surface of the head 38 toward the side indicated at 46, and by pressing tion until the point 45 has passed over the the p1ate23 toward the wall 22, the engage- .ment between parts 45 and 46 will force the fastening device shank37 intoa tipped posihead 38, whereupon the late 23 will uickly slip into position and t e fastening. evices will return to normal, plate-engaging position, as shown in Figures'2 and 3.

It'will be understood that the construction herein shown and described wouldbe equally eflicient forits intended purpose if the relaaltered so that the fastening devices 37 ;with heads 38"would bear against the outer margins of the a 'ertures 36, instead of the inner margins as s own; that is to say, the apertures36 in the cover plate 23 may be spaced apart from each other, from center to center,

attaching a removable name plate or the like to a device.

Obviously, changes indetails of construc 3 tion may be made without departing from the scope of my invention, and I do not intend to be limited to the precise form shown the location of the apertures 36 and 42 were 'a distance slightly less than the distance being; the invention may be used for readily Y and described, except as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Means for removabl mounting a plate upon a support, including a plurality of in the support, springs between the bolt heads and ends bearing against the inner surface of the sup ort for normally maintaining the bolts in p ate-engaging position, said plate 1 2:" headed bolts movably mounted in apertures being, provided with means for engaging the bolt heads and for temporarily moving same to non-engaging position. i

2. Means'for removably mounting a plate upon a support, including a plurality of headed bolts'movably mounted in apertures- 1n the support, springs between the bolt heads and endsbearing against the inner surface of the support for normally maintaining the bolts in plate-engaging position, said plate being provided with o positely positioned apertures spaced apart rom center to center a distance approximately the same as the distance between said bolt heads from center to center when in normal position.

3. Means for removably mounting a plate upon a support, including a plurality of I headed bolts tiltably mounted in apertures in the support, springs between the bolt heads and ends bearing against the inner surface of the support for normally maintaining the bolts in plate-engaging position, said plate bein provided w1th means for engaging the bolt eads and for temporarily moving sameto non-engaging position.

4. Means for removably mounting a plate upon a support, including a pair of opposite- I positioned, movably mounted fastening devices, means for normally maintaining said devices in plate-engaging position, the plate being provided with a pair of op ositely positioned apertures spaced apart rom center to center a distance approximately the same as the distance from center to center of'said fastening devices when in normal, plate-en gaging position.

5. Means for removably mounting a plate upon a support, including fastening devices movably mounted in the support and means for normally maintaining said fastening devices in plate-engaging position, the plate being provided w1th means for engaging the fastening'devices and for temporar ly moving the same to non-engaging position, said fastening devices and means for maintaining same in lateeengaging position comprising a headed olt, a coiled spring around the bolt shank and a spring-retaining cap on the end of the bolt. I

6. A vacuum cleaner, having a suction nozzle provided with an opening in the wall thereof, a cover plate therefor, means for re-' movably mounting said cover plate upon said nozzle, including fastening means movably mounted in the nozzle wall, and means for normally maintaining the fastening means in cover-engaging position, said cover beingprovided w1th means for engaging the fastening devices and for temporarily moving the same to non-engaging position. a

7. A vacuum cleaner, having a suction nozzle provided with an opening in the wall thereof, a cover plate therefor, means for removably mounting said cover plate upon said nozzle, including fastening devices tiltably mounted in the nozzle wall and means for normally maintaining said fastening devices in cover-engaging position,.the cover being provided with means for engaging the fastening devices and for temporarily moving the same to non-engaging position.

8. A vacuum cleaner, having a suction nozzle with an opening in the wall thereof, a cover plate therefor, means for removably mounting said cover plate upon said nozzle, including a pair of oppositely positioned, movably mounted fastening devices, and means for normally maintaining said devices in plate-engaging position, said plate being provided witha pair of oppositely positioned apertures spaced apart from center to cen ter a distance approximately the same as the distance from center to center of said fastening devices when in normal position, said fastening devices and means for maintaining same in plate-engaging position comprising a headed bolt, a coiled spring around the bolt shank and a spring-retaining cap on the end of the bolt, said cover plate having a protruding'ear on its marginal portion. 

